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Whaler's Wash
Whaler's Wash is a Post-War settlement in King Island, Tasmania. Settled by a group of Fisher Families in the 2250s, the settlement is known for its hunting of sea creatures, most important of course being whales and porpoises. In 2287, the settlement is led by OIly Pete. History Whaler's Wash can trace their heritage back 2250 when decreasing fish populations made Fisher Maree de Rue's nomadic, aquatic life more difficult. Raised as a practical woman, de Rue began to consider other ways of life to support her and her family. In January 2251, de Rue was fishing off the coast of King Island when she came upon the largest group of Whales she had seen in her life. The idea struck de Rue when her brother, Leonard, shot and fatally injured one of the whales. When butchering the animal, the sheer amount of perfectly good meat on it could feed the family for months. Fishers had been hunting whales on and off around the Bass Strait, yet had been too proud to develop the facilities to fully process them. As such, after spending 10 months accumulating resources, taking out loans and going on the occasional raid, de Rue had accumulated enough supplies to make a go of settling on King Island. Originally, Whaler's Wash was more simply known as the de Rue homestead. It was a small area, with little more than a small vegetable garden, a mid-sized house and a small yet sturdy pier. Through the summer and autumn of 2252, the settlement remained like this. However, as the pier grew more lively with traders and merchants hoping to get access to the town's meats, migrants started to arrive, swelling the homesteads population. Many of these migrants were friends and colleagues of de Rue, forced onto land by persecution and declining fish populations. By the end of the year, the settlement's population had swelled to just over 40. Whale's Wash was born. The Perks and Detriments of Being Popular With a growing population and a rapidly expanding whaling industry, the town began to attract attention from outside groups. In July 2253, the Hobson Bay Trading Company began to send ships out to the area, primarily for the whale meat. In 2259, Charlie's (of Flounders Island) reached out to the fellow islanders, establishing trade arrangements between the two groups. When whale oil began to be produced in the settlement in 2260, both trading groups amended and updated their agreements to gain access to this incredibly valuable and useful good. Yet with this growth in population and wealth, news spread to other Fisher Families. Within the general Fisher culture, willingly giving up your maritime life is one of the biggest faux pas a person can undertake. Whaler's Wash's close concentration of land-based Fishers angered their former brethren. From 2254 onwards, raids were a common occurrence on the town. While these raids never threatened the town to any major degree, they were a common concern, bringing the town closer with its strong, islander brethren in Whitemark. In 2271, Maree de Rue was killed in a raid by the Deep Dive family. After seeing off the raiders, the town began to mourn the loss of its leader. During this mourning period, Whaler's Wash still had to deal with other groups. Due to his prowess in fending off the Fishers, Oily Pete, an established citizen in the town, rose to a position in prominence in the settlement. Since 2271, Oily Pete has led the town fairly, if a little brutally. Whaler's Wash has prospered in its sale of whale products. Hobson Bay and Flounders Island continue to trade with and support the settlement, allowing it to continue to fend off dangerous Fisher raids. The town is, all in all, a success story - as long as you're not a whale, of course. Layout Whaler's Wash hugs the north-eastern coast of King Island, near the ruins of Egg Lagoon and sheltered behind New Year Island. The settlement is ramshackle, made out of ships hulls, plywood, scrap metal and other cheap materials. Unsurprisingly, whale bones are also a very common building material around town. Long Tom's Tip Long Tom's Tip is the local pub in the settlement, where settlers can catch up on gossip and adventurers can get wasted (literally and figuratively). Run by the jovial Long Tom, the Tip is named as such for the dirty nature of the place, a long-running joke around town. Rutherford's Rudders Rutherford's Rudders is a naval chop-shop. Taking in broken and battered hulls, Rudy (as he is more commonly known) chops, cuts, hammers and nails these into makeshift ships and repairs for old fishing ships. When a ship limps in, all but sunk in a radstorm, Rutherford's Rudders provides the spare parts which put it back in working order. Old Lighthouse The only Pre-War structure in Whaler's Wash, the Old Lighthouse (known before the war as the New Year Island Lighthouse) is an iconic sight within the settlement. Dirty, dripping stone, coated in a layer of grime, tempory reinforcements and make-do repairs, the Old Lighthouse is an almost religious icon among certain Fisher Families. It's used by the town both as a lighthouse and as a look-out platform. Fort Fuck Off Fort Fuck Off, as the rather vulgar name implies, is the town's primary defensive structure. While the town is surrounded by a palisade wall to keep out mutants and other undesirables, Fort Fuck Off deals with the dangerous raiding Fisher Families. Not only is the position heavily defended with log bunkers, tunnels and pikes, it is also home to a collection of three makeshift cannons, used to good effect against attacking vessels. Fort Fuck Off is one of the proudest achievements of the citizens of Whaler's Wash. Government Whaler's Wash is led by a Wasteland Authority system common around small settlements in the wastes. The two leaders of the town were both mighty individuals in their own right and won their position as unofficial official leader of the settlement due to this. Maree de Rue was the founder and well known for her fishing prowess. Oily Pete was also known for his success against Fisher raids. The Wasteland Authority system is dangerous and weak without strong leaders to make the system run well. Even when strong leaders like de Rue and Pete were around, the system makes decisions hard to put through if the population is opposed. Economy Whaler's Wash, as the name implies, makes much of its caps off of Whaling - the hunting and butchering of whales around the Bass Strait. The town boasts three large fishing vessels which travel out into the waters around King Island to hunt the whales. Using large harpoon guns to attack and kill the beasts, the fishermen drag the carcasses back to town, where they butcher the whales down to their core. Meats can be cooked and eaten, or sold. Blubber is melted down to make oil or simply sold as is as a delicious and healthy snack (the FIN uses Whale Blubber as a healing aid for its soldiers). The town lives and breathes around the whaling industry. Relations Whaler's Wash trades far and wide around the Bass Strait, exchanging goods and services as far north as Williamstown. Trade has brought the settlement close with many other groups, while old grudges continue to bring damage to relations with other factions. Hobson Bay Trading Company Hobson Bay has become a regular trade partner with Whaler's Wash, with ships arriving every week to trade. Whaler's Wash is appreciative of Hobson Bay's shipments and business is always friendly. Whaler's Wash citizens even join up with the company, travelling around the Bass Strait. Fisher Families The Fisher Families have a long and troubled history with Whaler's Wash. de Rue's choice location for the town rankled a few feathers (to say the least) but the fact she willingly gave up her ship to become a Southerner is unforgivable. Continuous raids on the town (whether successful or not) have only deepened this divide. Flounders Island As fellow civilised Tasmanians, Flounders Island and Whale's Wash get on incredibly well. Since their first meeting, the two groups have had a strong liking for one another though each has their own secret agendas. Flounders Island views the settlement as a ripe group for annexation, hence their willingness to commit the FIN to their protection. Whaler's Wash, in turn, views Flounders as a valuable trade partner and military ally. Williamstown The citizens of Whaler's Wash, as the true mariners they are, have of course all visited Williamstown, the great, glowing jewel of the Bass Strait. While Williamstown primarily deals with Whaler's Wash through Hobson Bay, they are appreciative for the whale bones, meat and oil the settlement provides. Whaler's Wash is themselves thankful for the business with Williamstown, as it allows them to keep the lights on, the harpoons loaded and the guns ready. Category:Tasmania Category:Places Category:Communities